Tips on Choosing Your Pediatrician

Choosing a pediatrician is one of the biggest decisions that any parent will have to make. A good referral from relatives and friends will be a great help. Research is important, too. Visit forums in the internet and ask for feedback on pediatricians that you are already considering for your child. Make certain, too, that your doctor is covered under your health card or insurance policy. Make a call to your prospective pediatrician to inquire about clinic hours and whether or not appointments are available. Your pediatrician's availability must coincide with your available schedules too (ex. after office hours or on weekends). Once you've tried a pediatrician, observe how he/she handles his/her patients. It would be good to have a friendly relationship with your pediatrician, so that you won't be embarrassed to ask questions if you have any concerns regarding your child's health. Be sure you know how to reach your pediatrician in emergency cases. If you have any qualms or hesitation on your current pediatrician, it's ok to look around and try a new doctor until you find the perfect one for your child. Remember that your child's health depends on how well you have chosen his/her pediatrician, because the pediatrician is your partner in ensuring the good health and proper development of your child.

We are lucky with our pediatrician now. She is friendly and really loves children. She is available anytime we need her. Some months ago, we had problems with our child's formula milk supply, and our pediatrician was very nice in helping us find the perfect alternative milk for our baby. Read more about it here.

If you're interested to know more about our pediatrician, I'd be glad to refer her to you. Just leave me a message and I’ll tell you more about her.

Baby Milestones

My daughter just turned 16 months last September 22.

In celebration of her 16th month, I am writing about baby milestones to guide parents with their own child's development. However, this is just a guide. Each baby is an individual, with his/her own development rate...each small step in his development will come at his most perfect time.

Months 1-2
- can follow a moving object with his eyes (faces, patterns, strong colors)
- sucks at everything!
- baby's head control is getting better
- first smile =)
- starts to learn how to reach out and grasp for an object

Months 3-6
- starts to roll at 3-4 months
- may be able to push herself up to a standing position at 5 months with your help
- can sit unsupported at 6 months
- can grasp and hold on to objects/toys

Months 6-9
- puts her hands and feet into her mouth -- she has discovered that she can now control her body
- from 7-9 months, she starts to crawl properly
- can recognize her name from about 8 months

Months 9-12
- can sit confidently without support and change from sitting to lying position
- can pull himself up in the crib and move around it
- he can associate words with objects like teddy bear, car, or apple
- he can understand simple instructions such as "give it to mommy"
- can pick up small objects with his fingers

Months 12-15
- most physically demanding stage
- average age for walking is between 12-18 months

Months 15-18
- he likes to imitate simple activities, such as feeding his teddy, sweeping the floor, wiping the table, etc.
- he can now run!

Have fun exploring with your baby! :)

How Much To Pay Yaya

Nowadays, it’s very difficult to find a yaya for our kids, especially since as parents, we constantly fear that leaving our child to a total stranger may not be such a good idea. But once you do find that perfect, trustworthy yaya, you feel like winning the lottery.

The next question is, how much do you pay your yaya so that she’ll be happy to stay with you and take care of your child for a long time?

There are a number of things to consider when contemplating on your yaya’s salary, like the yaya’s work experience, her responsibilities or work load, and your child’s age. Rates are usually higher for yayas who take care of newborns up to 2 year-old kids, as these younger children need more attention and extra care. Yayas from agencies are usually paid salaries from P2,500 to P3,000 a month.*

[*Source: Smart Parenting, November 2007 issue]

You, how much do you pay your child’s yaya? I’d love to hear about your own “yaya” experiences.

Milk Quest

My baby is very choosy when it comes to her milk. She's been used to the NAN series of formula milk made by Nestle: NAN1 from birth to 6 months, NAN2 from 6 months to 10 months, & NAN3 for 10 months to 24 months-old babies.

Recently, though, NAN3 ran out of stock in the market. A call to the Nestle Consumer Hotline confirmed that Nestle has been re-packaging its NAN products and so explains the shortage that we are experiencing in the market. And so that started our quest for a replacement milk for our baby. Our pedia first recommended changing to PediaSure Plus (also to increase our baby's appetite). PediaSure Plus came in 2 flavors: vanilla & chocolate. We tried vanilla. It smelled so good...but our baby rejected it. :( We thought that maybe she didn't want milk with flavor. So we texted our ever-reliable pedia for another alternative. She replied, "try Enfagrow A+". But a trip to the local supermarket revealed that Enfagrow A+ also came in flavors. We saw Lactum 1+ with no flavor & asked our pedia if that was ok. She said, "alright, let's try that one". Then again, our baby didn't what to drink the Lactum milk we gave her. And so our quest continued.

Then we found Nestogen3, also from Nestle. This, we tried, and finally our baby accepted it. But we compared the nutrients labeled in both NAN3 and Nestogen3, and we found out that NAN3 has more nutrients in it. So although Nestogen is a cheaper alternative, as parents, we wanted our baby to get as much nutrients as possible in the early stages of her growth & development. Good thing NAN3 is now back in the market with its new packaging. Our baby is now happily sucking away! :)

Note: I am not in any way associated with Nestle or any other milk product. My baby has been accustomed to NAN3, and we're happy with this product. But I'm certain that there are other milk products that are also good for your baby. Do consult your pediatrician before trying any formula milk. And as doctors always say, "Breastfeeding is truly the best for babies".

Read more about the benefits of breastfeeding from this link: http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/ph/bf/benefits.shtml